Skeeter Singing With The Legendary Buck Owens

Country Music Hall of Fame member Buck Owens passed away on this day (March 25th) in 2006. I worked for Buck on one of his Bakersfield, CA radio stations (KTIE-FM) in the mid-1990's. During that time, Buck's dream of a first-class steakhouse/nightclub/concert venue/museum, the Crystal Palace was being built right next door.

After it opened, Buck performed there with his band, the Buckaroos, nearly every weekend. One particular night, I was at the Palace with my best friend since high school (and phenomenal guitarist/singer), David Langley, who had come down from Fresno to celebrate his birthday. Buck spotted me in the audience, and asked me to get up and sing a song with him and the Buckaroos. Here is the video of one of what turned out to be a monumental night for both me and my buddy, David!

There's more to the story...prior to that night, David had never met Buck. Well, our little "jam" on Merle Haggard's "Workin' Man Blues" turned out to be an audition of sorts for David. It wasn't long after that night that David and his band (which included Yours Truly on drums!) got booked to play what became several dates at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace! In fact, Buck was so impressed with David's talents, he offered to record a duet to be included on the album that David was in the process of recording! They wound up doing a new, slowed-down version of one of Buck's classic hits, "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache)." Buck only recorded a handful of duets over the years, so this was a HUGE honor for my good friend, David! Here is a photo of David with Buck backstage at the Crystal Palace:

David is now based in Nashville, TN, and performs regularly at various venues in Music City. You can find out more about David--and hear more of his music--by CLICKING HERE.

FYI--in case you didn't know, Buck was born Alvis Edgar Owens in Sherman, Texas...a true son of the Lone Star State!

Special thanks to Randy Aden for putting this video together from the original VHS recording made by the video crew at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace!

RIP, Buck Owens...your music lives on in those of us who love it to this day! And thanks for the 'jam!'

▶ SKEETER NASH & BUCK OWENS LIVE! AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE IN BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIA. - YouTube.